Monday, September 26, 2011

Make Time For Studies

Some of the downs of all these exchanges with other missionaries 100 miles away, usually less, is that time is lost. You can't help it. It's tough contacting up and down the train wagons, only so many people. And while driving in the car while passing a semi giving them something to read. It's tough, not impossible. Trust me. Just tough. ;) haha. Something is good though is going through past investigators and calling them up. I can't do it driving so I put my companion on it and call away. Not a waste of time at all. Because normally we would be at home doing it. Nothing really different than in the car. But what I wanted to say about driving time, travel, and changes in schedules. Is some days I lose my studies! One of the many things I have learned on my mission is a appreciation for the scriptures. People can tell you what every verse means and read it to you. Have manuals and pictures. And movies. But nothing compares with just reading the scriptures and preferably, "studying" the scriptures. Often times I do read the scriptures, but studying them is where it's at. I love the scriptures so much and I love that time set apart everyday for us to read from them. The scriptures are so true and we can always learn something from them and they have all the answers for all the questions we would ever have in life. I love the Book of Mormon. Old Testament. New Testament. Doctrine and Covenants. and Pearl of Great Price. Make time to study the scriptures everyday. Even if you work all day. There is always time to read from the scriptures. You can't make excuses. There is always free time in anyone's day. Anyone and everyone. Even me.

It was a good week this past week here in the beautiful city of Arad. Great weather. Hot during the days about 80-90s but at night it is beautiful and cools down quite a bit. Fall is finally coming. About time! Not a whole lot of investigators here but we are working with some great people that need this message so much. A younger and cool guy named Darius. I like him a lot. Been a while since we met with him and hopefully he is still interested. Another investigator left for a month to work in Italy. Another, a husband of a member is kinda not interested because she is gone in America working. Talked to him a few times and he has some potential. Here in a Arad. Not a whole lot going for us. But we keep on working. Knocking on doors. Talking to people on the street. In the parc. And English class. Not to strong this session, but hopefully we'll get some interest from it. Just keep on trucking.

Had a great exchange with the District Leader companionship in Oradea. Drove up there after English Tuesday night and we had a great exchange all of Wednesday. Then we stayed the night again Wednesday night and drove back down Thursday morning. I was with Elder Barney. A great elder and he is really good at the language. He's 2 transfers behind me (6th) and then my companion Elder Schanck went with his boboc/trainee Elder Taylor. He is also a great missionary and doing well at the language for his first transfer. Oradea is one of the strongest branches in the mission and I am hoping to be able to serve there. Branch President is awesome. Met him and a couple other members. And then Friday was driving! We went over to Deva and did a baptismal interview for a young woman (17) who got baptized last Saturday. She is a great girl and has lots of faith. It was a great interview and I could really feel the help of the Spirit guiding the conversation and my words. Baptism went well and she was confirmed just yesterday in church.

All in all, I am loving life even if it appears I don't have any success at all. As long as I have no regrets and know I tried my hardest and work with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I know I will have success in my eyes and in God's eyes. Just maybe not in others' eyes. I love you all and thank you for your support and prayers. I love my family so much. Dad and Mom. Shelby. Garrett. Marissa. Grant. and Caleb. I love you. Have a great week.

Zone Conference for me here in Arad. All the missionaries are coming to me! From Arad, Oradea, Deva, Timisoara, Brasov, Sibiu, and Cluj-Napoca. Looking forward to it and to my and Elder Schanck's presentation. You are all invited! Just call me when you fly in, drive in, or arrive. Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. All are invited. (Every member a missionary.)

Make time for studies.

Millie! I love you and hope you have a great birthday this Thursday! Big 1. Loves.


Monday, September 19, 2011

Called to Romania

So while at a member's home with her son and his basically wife and daughter I was learning some Hungarian, but I can't do that! Haha, I want to really bad so I can talk with them, but I know I still need to work on Romanian. But I know if I am to serve in Moldova (Chisinau or Orhei) I am going to learn some Russian even if I didn't want to. I'll stick with Romanian for now and maybe after I get home I'll pick up the Hungarian. I hear with Finnish they are the two hardest languages to learn in Europe. Too many languages! I just need the language of the Spirit and I am good. I was though seriously considering it, buying some Hungarian grammar books and starting from the basics but I reconsidered and know I need to study Romanian. Dont' worry. I think I am ok at Romanian and people can understand me and just call me Romanian all day, but I can always get better (although I just don't know how...hmmm gotta think outside the box and probaby just read the dictionary) But anyways I am not the best at all. Although I do love those compliments when they say I don't have an accent at all. They are like what the? How do you know more words than me in my own language? Just daily occasions I always look forward to. Anyways. I stay humble. Most humble person you will ever meet.
That family is kinda close to baptism, that we are working with. They simply need to understand the basics. It's kinda hard because we aren't always trying to push baptism but his mom is always pushing it! Hai hai hai! (or let's go!) Get baptized already. Sheesh lady, it's his choice. Just take it easy! But they aren't married with an eleven year old daughter. So....uh they need to get married first. Living under the same roof. But we are still workign with them, meeting about once or week, they are regularly at church.
Met an awesome family on an exchange with Elder Nelson who is serving in Deva (wow he's been there 6 months! was there since I was in Timisoara) But we had a busy exchange knocking on vilas and found a really open and nice family that live not too far from us. I love the people that God puts in your path. I know in daily plans you have to be specific so God knows your plans and can help you out throughout your day. But like for our exchange, we were general and just said we wanted to go knock in the vilas. And I chose the street. And we find these awesome people. Huge family and lots of kids and grandkids. We are taking it slow with them. Just met them and want them to really understand. Hopefully they will go somewhere.
We met with an investigator. Really cool younger guy. Just needs to keep reading and pray about it to get a testimony. He's really cool and likes to hang out and play some ping pong.
Other than that is was a good week. This week we are heading up to Oradea for an exchange with the District Leader up there. Elder Barney. And then actually going out to Deva again just for a baptismal interview for a youth girl getting baptized this saturday. She's 17 and super solid I hear. I'll meet her this week and tell you how it goes! Yay!
Zone Conference next week here in Arad. Everyone is coming to us. No travel for us here.
Be strong and of good courage. Joshua in the old testament is the best and I wonder if it was sometimes necessary to conquer all those nations, but it's the past and you can't change it. I love that phrase though repeated in the first chapter. Be strong and of good courage. For the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Never be dismayed, discouraged, or afraid. God is always with you. Find comfort in that phrase and be a little more stronger and be more courageous. I love you all and hope you have a great week because I will too.


Monday, September 12, 2011

Week Full of Service

I love service. Nothing better than to forget about yourself and serve others. Lots of fun. Didn't capture any of the acts, but you can take my word it all happened. Or did it? But first off, being an awesome week because I went to my city!!!!!!!! TIMISOARA. Oh, how I missed you so. It was great to meet up with a few past investigators. And see some of the members. I love that city so much for some reason. And it felt so good to be there after about 3 months of being away, I bet after I leave Arad, I'll never be able to go back again. But we'll see. I'll just finish the rest of my mission here in Arad, I really wouldn't mind that. I'll talk to Prez. But yeah, it was a good exchange with the District Leader there. Elder Schanck went with Elder Nemrow. And I went with a new missionary Elder McCombs and I like him a lot. Great missionary and still learning the language. Great desire and attitude about everything. I love exchanges so much and get to help other missionaries and they help me as well at the same time, trying to figure out what works for me and how I can be better. All about progression throughout our lives. Not a competition, some just learn faster than others. Can't be always comparing ourselves with others. Should be comparing ourselves with ourselves. I like the transfer period of 6 weeks, because every transfer I want to be better and see all that I did and just keep on trucking and progressing to be a better missionary. I'll never get it perfect, but I will manage. This week for an exchange we are headed to Deva! The car is there now, so i'll drive back to be here in Arad and then go back again to pick up Elder Schanck and back, I think about 2.5 hour drive. With me driving...probably 1. I do obey the laws, don't worry. Just time somehow slows down? I don't really know how I get everywhere so quick. Actually I feel bad, I got going so fast sometimes when driving from Bucuresti to Constanta, don't judge me. I just follow the car in front of me and then look down at the odometer, and just like ah crap. Gotta slow down! No tickets though and don't plan on it. All about not only defensive driving, but smart driving if you know what I mean. I love driving. Haha Back to service, people! It's awesome and every week you should be giving service! Especially as missionaries, you'll have such better weeks and you will be so much happier. I am really happy from giving service. After our exchange in Timisoara, that next day we went over to a member's house kinda over by the church west side of Arad, close to the airport (google map that!) And it is a nice vila that she lives in and we just went to town! Picking grapes for about an hour and a half! Killing flies and wasps. Elder Schanck got stung. We filled up so many of those containers! sheesh. The member is an older lady and she has 4 children. One is a member that lives other side of town. 2 others somewhere in Arad. And her son lives with her, we are working with him and he is so close to baptism. Might be heading out to Italia for a bit. And his wife is interested as well along with their daughter. And the sisters are working with them as well. And another member was over there Grandma's niece. But there were 7 of us out there in the courtyard type thing and just picking grapes. We did it with our hand for a little bit, we wouldn't pick individual grapes, but we would pick the whole...ah can't think of the word in english!!!!!!! whole bushel of grapes? the...mass of grapes...bundle...something of grapes. Anyways. We picked a lot of grapes and then later that day we went to recent converts house husband, wife, and daughter are all members and helped them paint a room in their house adn then to put together thier bed, and a desk, later when we left and the next days they put together a dresser and closet type thing. Really nice furniture and it was fun putting the desk together with no instructions. Two easy. Then also we volunteered at this shelter place where missionaries in the past would volunteer, we are trying to set up a schedule to go every week or so, when she needs us. That's a great story another day. Ask me about it sometime. It's about the senior couple that just got in two weeks ago - the McFaddens. Still helping them out a lot, I am them computer man and we are working on getting conference and trying somehow to hook it up to the tv. Project for my free time. I love them a lot, served us breakfast this week again. They are too nice. And last Saturday we had a good branch activity with lots of pizza, snacks, drinks, and free getting beat in ping pong by me. I lost one game, tired of winning I guess. Just kinda a natural thing I have to stop winning every now and again. Let other people feel the glory. But yeah, it was a good activity. Sam, we gotta play ping pong! I think it'll be about 3 years till that happens. Anyways. Activity was good, some less actives came out and glad they were there. Then yesterday church is always good and I love going. Pres Geambasu (1st counselor in district presidency) came down, always loved it when he would come when I was in Timisoara. But he gave a great talk. He knows what he's talking about and it's really important for him to come and correct how things run with new members and branch leaders. I like him a lot. And all in all it was a great week. I love this work and have need or more investigators here in Arad. Working with branch members and their families and hopefully we'll see some success from that this transfer. People are really close here. Especially where we went and did service for the grapes. I love it here in Arad and looking forward to do all that I can to help the branch here in anyway I can. I love you all and hope you have a great week. I will too.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I Miss the Boboc Days

It was a great week ending in Mihai Bravu and beginning here in Arad. I arrived here Thursday morning and I love it here so much. The McFaddens (Senior Couple) were going to come up with us on the same train, but they stayed one more night in Bucuresti and came up on Friday morning. It was a lot of fun taking them around. They just arrived in the country Tuesday and haven't even been here a week. It was in the sense that everything that they saw and what not, it was all new to them. And I don't know. I loved those first few weeks, getting adjusted to the area and country. It's funny and amusing to me. That's why I love young companions, when something happens and it's just crazy and so bizarre for them, but for me it's just everyday stuff. I love new missionaries when they come into the country. With the Howell's leaving to Ploiesti, the McFaddens took their apartment. They live pretty close to us. Getting off the train that came late on Friday, we took two taxis to our apartment. Then discussed stuff. Went and had lunch. They met up with the propiertara (landlady) Talked with her for a while at their apartment. Then back to our apartment, brought over all the luggage and other things for them, printer, appliances and what not. Then after that, did some shopping with them. And took up our whole day. And I am grateful I have been blessed to know Romanian. I couldn't do it. 3rd day in the country and all on your own with another boboc. Although it would be the best companion in the world, it'd be tough having no idea where anything is and not really being able to communicate. But it's easier here in Romania, lots of the younger generation know English and even the older one. But still, it would be tough. I love the McFaddens a lot they are a great couple and want to help out here in Romania. They have 7 kids, 15 grandkids and soon to be 17 total. They are awesome. I like them a lot and it's going to be a fun transfer with them. Elder McFadden is so funny. They had us over with the Sisters this morning to have breakfast. Too kind. They are from Utah.
My companion is awesome! I love him a lot. Elder Schanck. He is a great missionary. We get along great and things are going well here in Arad and in the Arad zone. I am looking forward so much to this transfer and trying to work our hardest and making a difference. I love this work and I love the west. The church is true. I know it.
Busy week traveling and getting settled in, but getting ready to put the pedal to the medal. Using members more and more. And building the church! It's gonna be a great week this week. Going down probably to Timisoara on an exchange. I wish I had longer than 24 hours to try and visit everyone! It's going to be awesome! From the time I left 3 months ago, there have been 2 baptisms. No one I found or worked with I think. Not too sure. But I hear they are doing really well the missionaries, branch, city in general.
I love Arad. Everyday this is going to happen. Alma 8:5